American Legislative Exchange Council (where "corporations hand state legislators the changes to the law they desire that directly benefit their bottom line")  documents is available here  alecexposed.org   See who in Congress is bought!

GOP Lawmakers use corporations to become co-authors of state laws legally through ALEC LINK

American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) / GOP and why/how we have these "Voter ID" laws LINK

Who is "Americans Elect?"

Is this what Americans yearn for: A high-tech presidential ticket funded by secret Wall Street money?  LINK

Americans Elect needs to identify its donors LINK

The Differences Between Democrats and Republicans

read 15 differences

"Like" us on Aiken County Democratic Party on Facebook

                    State Party News LINK

           How to be a National Delegate  LINK

           Who’s Financing the ‘Super PACs’  LINK

President Obama has raised more money for his

re-election bid from small-dollar donors than Republican Mitt Romney  LINK

A Short List of Barack Obama’s Major Progressive Achievements Thus Far LINK

Not Disappointed by President Obama LINK

Benefits of the Affordable Care Act ("ObamaCare") LINK

Nostalgia for Victorian era (sounds like the modern GOP)  is dangerous  LINK

Romney's motto should be "Greed is Good" LINK
Martin Luther King Debates Mitt Romney LINK                               

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Doing the math on Obama's deficits  LINK

Conservatives Do Massive Facepalm Over Romney’s ‘I’m not concerned with the very poor’ line LINK

Health Care Law Saved Medicare Money LINK

Romney’s gift from Congress - "… Congress treats ordinary taxpayers one way and managers of private equity and hedge funds like Mitt Romney another.  ….But President Barack Obama’s State of the Union message could signal a new direction. …"  LINK

Insider-trading ban bill advances in Senate LINK (Roll Call Vote LINK)

What austerity (that the GOP want) has done so far - "…in Ireland unemployment is now at 14 percent. … in Britain, the …economy didn't grow at all. …And in Spain, …youth unemployment is getting ever closer to fifty percent.   These are the indisputable facts. It's one thing for Republicans to misrepresent the President…. But it's completely shameless in the very next breath to support those nations that they've accused the President of following." LINK 

Demand is the primary reason for the Layoffs LINK

The GOP presidential candidates claim to abhor debt, yet propose tax cuts that would add trillions more.  LINK 

A study by Cornell University found that  Rep Boehner and all the supporters of Keystone XL are not being truthful about the direct and indirect jobs that the project would create PDF LINK   The reality is that according to the State Department, Keystone XL will only create 6,000 direct jobs with only 10%-15% of those workers being hired locally.   LINK

GOP's Claim That House Passed 30 Jobs Bills? Bogus.  LINK  Study proves regulations killed practically no jobs  LINK LINK   Survey Finds Small Business Owners Don’t Feel Overtaxed Or Overregulated LINK    People polled; Economic unfairness, not overregulation, is the problem 1/12-15 LINK

Public sours on Romney in January "Obama’s numbers in this poll … tilted positive, both among all Americans (53 percent favorable) and among independents (51 percent favorable)"  LINK

US Chamber of Commerce Lies About Keystone XL Pipeline LINK

Why has Mitt Romney been reluctant to release his tax returns? The “carried interest” loophole?? LINK

Republican candidates’ stances on health care  LINK

McCain’s 2008 Campaign on Romney's Bain Capital LINK

Koch-Funded "Americans For Prosperity" millions to spread lies and half truths about the Solyndra affair.  LINK

Romney Says Obama Has No Jobs Plan  --  Really?!?

President Obama has been pushing a bill called the American Jobs Act for months  LINK

Romney: Only Speak of Income Inequality in ‘Quiet Rooms’  LINK

Romney's Bain made millions as S.C. steelmaker went bankrupt  LINK

Romney’s bogus jobs claims  LINK Romney in Gaffney, SC where a plant was closed down by Bain; residents react LINK

Romney's Economic Record: Profit at Any Cost - What Romney did at Bain is part of the problem we have in our economy LINK (Romney's Bain income taxed at only 15 percent rather than the 35 percent rate for ordinary income - the "hedge fund loophole" LINK)

GOP Senate Minority obstructionism LINK   Fox News Promotes Dubious Claim That 900 Deceased People Voted In SC LINK

Rep Joe Wilson: Corporate PACs okay, union PACs no way  LINK

Gov Haley's choice to run for the new 7th District has been arrested  LINK

Cordray is trying to tell the American people what GOP opposition to his appointment would take away from them in the way of consumer protection.  LINK

If Romney’s tax plans pass, in 2015, they would add $180 billion to the deficit — on top of the $400 billion cost of extending the Bush tax cuts — for a total deficit explosion of nearly $600 billion. And over 10 years, it would be roughly 10 times that.  LINK  More here LINK

The Republican meme that Obama’s appointment of Cordray to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is an unprecedented executive power grab is completely false.  LINK     Cordray’s Recess Appointment Helps Implement a Law That Already Passed  LINK

Major health care changes took effect in 2011  LINK

House GOP Censors opposing view: Boehner’s office cuts off C-SPAN cameras as GOP takes verbal beating  LINK

Results of President Obama’s rescue of the American automotive industry: JOBS LINK

SC Gov. Haley refuses to answer questions about public documents request LINK   Haley ignores questions LINK

Former backer slams Haley  LINK  Haley's transparency flop  LINK Nikki Haley e-mails   LINK (pdf)

Mitt Romney's life as a poor Mormon missionary ?? LINK

What factors drove SC governor's port deal? LINK

SC Gov. Haley dictated health panel finding - Haley, et al, wasted time and part of a $1 million federal grant.  LINK

"When I talk to my colleagues on the other side, and some of my closest colleagues are the most liberal, I find them more intellectually honest oftentimes"  Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)  LINK

Romney: "Keep America American" Take a look where that phrase came from LINK LINK

Romney explaining that he’s not a “partisan Republican” and that his “views are progressive” LINK w/ video

Trickle down theory pronounced dea   LINK  History tells us that "Trickle Down" doesn't work and the financial crisis was entirely foreseeable (by  Barry Ritholtz ) LINK

Forget about what the GOP says-- here's a successful venture capitalist on job creation and tax policy  LINK 

How much more deception can Romney try to get away with before he develops a reputation as a candidate with an honesty problem? LINK

Survey Finds Small Business Owners Don’t Feel Overtaxed Or Overregulated LINK    People polled; Economic unfairness, not overregulation, is the problem 1/12-15 LINK

Examining the big lie: How the facts of the economic crisis stack up LINK

Fox, WSJ Still Falsely Claiming Lower Taxes Generate More Revenue LINK

On deficit reduction, the public has spoken: Tax hikes on rich, no cuts to Medicare LINK

Will Veterans remember that Sen DeMint voted NO on "The Vow to Hire Heroes Act" designed to help military veterans find employment?   LINK

GOP candidates say Dodd-Frank kills small banks. Wrong: "..Shortly after Dodd-Frank passed Congress last year, the Independent Community Bankers of America applauded the law…"  LINK

What caused the financial crisis? The Big Lie goes viral. LINK (also, Bear Stearns Exemption & the collapse of the economy LINK)  Wonderful site w/ links to their claims LINK

Three Polls Show Voters Believe GOP Intentionally Stalling Economic Recovery LINK   LINK 

Romney Promises to Raise Retirement Age, Privatize Medicare and Slash Government Jobs at "Americans for Prosperity" Event 11/4 LINK  Romney’s Medicare Mythology  LINK

Regulations Not a Huge Jobs Killer  LINK  US Businesses Not Being Strangled By Regulation And Taxation, World Bank Says LINK  Read World Bank’s report 212 page “Doing Business 2012″

Proof the GOP just wants the WH to fail:  24 Policies That Republicans Supported BEFORE They Were Against Them  LINK

Join the Yellow Dog Club

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Normal PRECINCT VOTING  LOCATIONS

Aiken 1: City Auditorium - 214 Park Ave. SW  

Aiken 2: American Legion Post 212 - 602 Hampton Ave. NW  

Aiken 3: Aiken High School Annex - 123 Rutland Dr.  

Aiken 4: Smith Hazel Recreation Center - 400 Kershaw St. NE  

Aiken 5: Msgr. Smith Hall, St. Mary's Help of Christians Church - Park Ave.  

Aiken 6: Odell Weeks Activities Center - 1700 Whiskey Road  

Bath 7: LBC Middle School Gymnasium - 29 Lions Trl.  

Beech Island 8: Beech Island Fire Department - 1565 Sand Bar Ferry Road  

Belvedere 9: Nancy Carson Library - 135 Edgefield Road  

Carolina Heights 10: American Legion Post 232 - 421 Radio Station Rd.  

China Springs 11: Center Fire Department Substation – 93 T & S Dr.  

Clearwater 12: Clearwater Elementary School - 4552 Augusta Rd.  

College Acres 13: South Aiken Church of God - 2700 Whiskey Rd.  

Eureka 14: Old Time Gospel Church - 1231 Luke Bridge Rd.  

Gloverville 15: Catholic Center - 2443 Augusta Rd.  

Graniteville 16: Leavelle McCampbell Middle School - 81 Canal St.  

Jackson 17: Jackson Town Hall - 106 Main St.  

Langley 18: Langley Community Center - 2724 Augusta Rd.  

Lynwood 19: Burnettown Municipal Building - 3144 Augusta Rd.  

Millbrook 20: Aiken Elementary School - 1050 Pine Log Rd.  

Monetta 21: Monetta Community Center - 278 Academy St.  

Montmorenci 22: Montmorenci First Baptist Church - 44 Old Barnwell Rd.  

New Ellenton 23: New Ellenton Civic Center - 201 Myrtle St.  

New Holland 24: New Holland Grange Hall - 2550 Old 96 Indian Trl.  

North Augusta 25: North Augusta Community Center - 101 Brookside Dr.  

North Augusta 26: St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church - 471 W. Martintown Rd.

North Augusta 27: North Augusta High School - 2000 Knobcone Ave.  

North Augusta 28: Hammond Hill Elementary School - 901 W. Woodlawn Ave.

North Augusta 29: North Augusta First Baptist Church - 602 Georgia Ave.  

Oak Grove 30: Oak Grove Baptist Church - 1554 Old Ninety Six Indian Trl.  

Perry 31: New Perry Town Hall - 1062 E. Railroad Ave. N.  

Salley 32: Old Crescent Vocational School - 264 Pine St.  

Shaws Fork 33: Shaws Fork Baptist Church - 1085 Shaws Fork Rd.  

Shiloh 34: Center Fire Department - 2593 Columbia Hwy. N.  

Six Points 35: Kalmia Mall - 1680 Richland Ave. W.  

Tabernacle 36: Couchton Fire Substation 2 - 4765 Wagener Rd.  

Talatha 37: New Ellenton Middle School - 814 Main St.  

Vaucluse 38: Vaucluse Baptist Church Education Building - 2 Church St.  

Wagener 39: Wagener Town Hall - 113 Railroad Ave.  

Ward 40: Jerusalem Baptist Church - 4185 Columbia Hwy. N.  

Warrenville 41: First Baptist Church Warrenville - 1012 Aiken Blvd.  

White Pond 42: White Pond Community Center - 321 White Pond Rd.  

Windsor 43: Windsor First Baptist Church - 539 Middleton Dr.  

Belvedere 44: Belvedere United Methodist Church - 202 Rhomboid Pl.  

Misty Lakes 45: Mims Grove Baptist Church - 843 Ridge Road  

Six Points 46: Pinecrest School - 1050 Pinecrest Ave.  

Aiken 47: Odell Weeks Activities Center - 1700 Whiskey Rd.

Hammond 48: Beech Island Community Center - 300 Beech Island Ave.  

Willow Springs 49: Woodridge Fire Department - 236 Hillside Drive  

Breezy Hill 50: Christian Heritage Church - 237 Ascauga Lake Rd.  

Midland Valley 51: Aiken County Career Center - 2455 Jefferson Davis Hwy.  

Levels 52: Kennedy Middle School - 174 E. Pine Log Rd.  

Hollow Creek 53: South Aiken Church of God – 2700 Whiskey Rd.  

North Augusta 54: North Augusta Middle School - 725 Old Edgefield Rd.  

North Augusta 55: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church - 1002 Carolina Ave.  

Couchton 56: Aiken Electric Cooperative Building - 2790 Wagener Rd.  

Redds Branch 57: East Aiken Elementary School - 223 Old Wagener Rd.  

Fox Creek 58: North Augusta Public Safety Substation 2 - 481 W. Five Notch Rd.  

Pine Forest 59: Pine Forest Baptist Church - 2827 Pine Log Rd.  

Gem Lakes 60: Town Creek Baptist Church - 250 Town Creek Rd.  

Silver Bluff 61: Silver Bluff High School - 64 DeSoto Dr.  

Belvedere 62: Belvedere First Baptist Church - 421 Edgefield Rd.  

Ascauga Lake 63: Mt. Transfiguration Baptist Church - 350 Blanchard Road  

Cedar Creek 64: Cedar Creek Church - 3001 Banks Mill Rd.  

Sleepy Hollow 65: St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church - 1630 Silver Bluff Rd.  

Hitchcock 66: St. Paul Lutheran Church - 961 Trail Ridge Rd.  

North Augusta 67: Riverview Park Activities Building - 100 Riverview Park Dr.  

North Augusta 68: Mossy Creek Elementary School - 421 W. Five Notch Rd.  

Anderson Pond 69: Harbor Chase – 1385 Silver Bluff Rd.  

Sandstone 70: Knights of Columbus - 1003 Spaulding Dr.  

Midland Valley 71: Midland Valley First Church of the Nazarene - 3526 Jefferson Davis Hwy.  

Levels 72: Levels Baptist Church - 2456 Levels Church Rd.  

Fox Creek 73: Grace Fellowship Church - 507 W. Five Notch Rd.

Belvedere 74: Belvedere Fire Department – 204 Hampton Ave.

 

South Aiken 75: Cedar Creek Church – 3001 Banks Mill Rd.

South Aiken 76: Public Safety Station 5 – 23 Citadel Dr.

Barrier Free 77: Aiken County Registration and Elections - 916 Vaucluse Rd.

Absentee: Aiken County Registration and Elections - 916 Vaucluse Rd.

Fail Safe": Aiken County Registration and Elections - 916 Vaucluse Rd.

Aiken County Registration and Elections office is located at 916 Vaucluse Road, Aiken, SC 29801

DEMOCRATIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS

A Short List of Barack Obama’s Major Progressive Achievements Thus Far LINK

Remember this:

1. •Health Insurance Reform, to recognize health care as a right, not a privilege and put a stop to the worst abuses by insurance companies including discrimination against people with pre-existing medical conditions. [OPPOSED BY 100 % OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS]
   

2. •The Economic Recovery Act, to save and create millions of jobs and cut taxes for 98 percent of Americans. [OPPOSED BY 100 % OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS]
   

3. •The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, to make the largest investment in college aid in American history. [OPPOSED BY 100 % OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS]
   

4. •Wall Street Reform, to rein in reckless practices on Wall Street, end taxpayer-funded bail-outs and "too big to fail" institutions, and protect and empower consumers. [OPPOSED BY A MAJORITY OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS]
   

5. •Extension of Unemployment Benefits, to extend benefits to millions of Americans who have lost their jobs in the Bush recession and to stimulate economic activity.
   

6. •Cash for Clunkers, to jumpstart America's auto industry and spur the sale of 700,000 new vehicles.[OPPOSED BY A MAJORITY OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS]
   

7. •Credit Card Holders Bill of Rights, to ban the worst practices by credit card companies and provide tough new consumer protections. [OPPOSED BY HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADERS]
   

8. •Hate Crimes Prevention, to extend federal protection to people who are victims of violent crime because of their gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
   

9. •The Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, to save or create the jobs of 161,000teachers, and thousands of police officers, and firefighters while closing tax loopholes that encourage big corporations to ship American jobs overseas.
   

10. •The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, to restore the rights of women and other workers to challenge unfair pay and help close the wage gap where women earn 78 cents for every $1 that a man earns in America. [OPPOSED BY A MAJORITY OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS]
    

11. •The HIRE Act, to provide tax incentives for businesses to hire more Americans (4.5 million Americans have already been hired) and unleashing billions of dollars to rebuild highways and other infrastructure, and to crack down on offshore tax havens for the wealthy.
    

12. •The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act, to boost the American economy and create jobs, expand the 1st time homebuyers' tax credit, and enhance tax relief for small businesses.
    

13. •The U.S. Manufacturing Enhancement Act, to help American manufacturers compete by temporarily suspending or reducing duties on materials and products which are not made domestically.
    

14. •Children's Health Insurance legislation, to provide affordable health care coverage to 11 million children, who would otherwise go without coverage.
    

15. •Tobacco Regulation, to have the FDA regulate the manufacture and marketing of tobacco, especially to children.
    

16. •Budget Blueprint, to create jobs through investments in health care, clean energy, and education, reduce taxes for most Americans, and cut the Bush-deficit in half by the year 2013.
    

17. •Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO), to bring back the Clinton-era rule that requires all new policies that reduce revenues or expand entitlement spending be offset over five and ten years and therefore not increase the deficit. This spending rule led to the record surpluses during the Clinton Administration.
    

18. •Stem Cell Research, to end former President Bush's ban on federal funding for lifesaving embryonic stem cell research. [ENACTED BY EXECUTIVE ORDER]
    

19. •Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services, to provide help for those who provide care to disabled, sick, or injured veterans and improve health care services to women veterans.
    

PASSED BY THE HOUSE...

1. •Repeal of ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' to end this outdated policy, contingent on the certification that military review was completed and that repeal would not impact readiness.
   

2. •The American Clean Energy and Security Act, to create millions of clean energy jobs, bring about historic reductions in pollution that causes climate change, and reduce America's dangerous dependence on foreign oil. [OPPOSED BY A MAJORITY OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS]
   

3. •The DISCLOSE Act, to respond to the Supreme Court's decision on Citizens United that threatens corporate takeover of our elections. The measure requires CEOs to stand by the political advertising funded through their corporate treasuries, expands disclosure requirements, and prohibits foreign countries from exercising influence in the funding of U.S. elections.
   

4. •The American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, to close tax loopholes that reward corporations for shipping American jobs overseas. [OPPOSED BY A MAJORITY OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS]
   

5. •Jobs for Main Street Act, to create and save jobs through investments to hire more teachers, police officers, fire fighters, rebuild highways and mass transit systems, and boost small businesses. [OPPOSED BY 100 % OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS]
   

6. •Small Business Jobs and Credit Act, to establish a $30 billion lending fund to help community banks provide loans to small businesses.[OPPOSED BY A MAJORITY OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS]
   

7. •The America COMPETES Act, to reauthorize this legislation that aims to create millions of American jobs in science and innovation while reasserting America's economic and technological leadership throughout the world. [OPPOSED BY A MAJORITY OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS]
   

8. •Response to the BP Oil Spill, to eliminate the $75 million cap on oil company liability, restore the Gulf Coast, increase safety requirements and oversight on offshore drilling, and protect local residents.
   

9. •Home Star Jobs legislation, to incentivize consumers to make their homes more energy efficient, create 168,000 jobs, reduce energy bills for 3 million families, and reduce America's dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil.
   

LINK  -- more at this PDF LINK

[S]everal contracts, totaling several hundred million dollars, have been awarded to companies working at the Savannah River Site. These funds are part of the $1.6 billion awarded last year as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funds.  Local, regional and national companies have been awarded about $266 million in ARRA work with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, with more than 73 percent being awarded to small businesses...  The Aiken Standard took a look...  LINK  LINK   (Past article on Stimulus Funds helping Aiken LINK )

New green nuke fuel, Thorium -- field testing will soon begin at the Savannah River National Lab  LINK

The Manufactured Doubt industry LINK

Root Cause Of The Economic Meltdown:  LINK

Corporate Interlocks

"A study by a Senate subcommittee on government affairs found that of the top 245 large corporations in the United States, 123 shared at least one board member with, on average, 62 of the remaining 122 corporations.

- SNIP -

Interlocks reduce competition among corporations in general. Thus, a relatively small number of corporate giants have come to dominate the economy. Through this domination they have obtained tremendous political and economic influence. "

LINK

Interlocking Directorates in the Corporate Community LINK  (From this LINK)

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